


Birds

by OdeToPedrazar (MyPrivateLaughter)



Series: Five Friends and Francis [2]
Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 23:04:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3095876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyPrivateLaughter/pseuds/OdeToPedrazar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Nottingham</i><br/>Benedick is somewhat concerned about the British bird population when behind Francis' wheel. His friends aren't helping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birds

A stoic Benedick had his eyes fixed grumpily on the road. “It’ll be fine, bro,” Pedro attempted to reassure him from his place behind the driver’s seat.

Hero hushed him. “Don’t mention the… you know.”

Balthazar was grinning. “The b – i – r -”

“No,” Benedick cried. “Nope! We’re not going to talk about it!”

The five friends had taken a good fifteen minutes wrestling their luggage into the tiny boot of the hire car. A little blue Vauxhall Astra that they had all immediately taken to heart and named Francis.

Finally, Ben had stood back with his hands on his hips and had declared, “Balth, we’re just going to have to leave the ukulele here. Sorry. Francis just can’t take it all.”

“No,” Balthazar had smirked. “It’s the smallest instrument I could think to bring.”

“You should have gone for a harmonica.”

“Your suitcase is by far the biggest,” Pedro had pointed out. He had given the boot a final shove and it eventually thudded closed, the ukulele perched precariously on top of the mound of their bags.

“Yeah,” Bea had said, “maybe we should just leave you here.”

Benedick had shivered and looked around the airport car park nervously. “Egh, not here. There’s a reason they call it _Shot_ ingham.”

“Outlaws?” Pedro had suggested. “The Sheriff?”

Hero, who had her arms crossed around her waist and was jiggling on the spot to help stop her shivers, piped up, “Actually, there is still a Sheriff of Nottingham. Her name is Jackie Morris.”

Benedick had blinked at her. “How do you even know that?”

Beatrice had grinned and put her arm around her cousin. “She’s a Duke. We’re all omniscient.”

“I read the guide book on the flight.”

“The whole book?”

“Well, I mean, I didn’t memorise it all or anything….”

“Oh, I call shotgun!” Beatrice had said abruptly. “Let’s go, it’s too cold for chatting.”

“I think Ben should drive Francis first,” Pedro had suggested in the way that he did when it had already been decided as far as he was concerned. “He knows the road systems better and everything.”

“No, that’s not fair!” Ben had argued. “It’s the same side of the road as at home!”

But Hero, Balthazar and Beatrice had all been agreeing and piling into the car while he spoke, stripping off their coats and arguing about which seatbelt buckle was theirs.

And that’s how they ended up with Benedick driving white knuckled into Nottingham city centre with a tense silence prevailing in the car.

That is until Pedro muttered, “The feathered creatures of Britain are surviving on a wing and a prayer,” and they all burst out laughing.

Except Benedick. “Oh, ha ha! Thanks so much for that, _mate_. Please direct your daily puns elsewhere in future.” Then he added in a conspirators tone, “Just ignore him Francis, we’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, Pedro,” Beatrice said, “that’s a pretty _fowl_ joke.”

They laughed and groaned. There was a small pause before Hero added, “I might have to tweet about this.”

“Alright! Alright!” Benedick cried in frustration as they were all crying laughing. “That’s enough! Stop now!”

“OWL NEVER STOP!” Beatrice declared to loud appreciative mirth.

Benedick growled. “Oh, Bea, you little-”

“Ben! Ben!” Pedro interjected. “Bro! Don’t forget your resolution!”

“Let me finish!” he said and gave a brief, fain-affectionate glance towards the girl in the passenger seat. “Bea, you little… light of my life, how glad I am we could share this trip together.”

Beatrice pretended to vomit out of the window.

“Hey, Ben, turn the heating up. Balth is freezing,” Pedro said.

Balthazar, who had unintentionally found himself squeezed between Hero and Pedro on the backseat, quickly denied this claim. “Nah, I’m fine.”

Pedro laughed. “You’re shivering, man!” But then Balthazar shot him a glance that caused him to stop smiling.

It wasn’t even anger, it was something closer to hurt. And Pedro wasn’t able to comfort him. He couldn’t. Could he? It had been a mistake.

“Yeah, it’s freezing. Whose idea was it to miss our summer and partake in a different hemisphere’s winter?” Beatrice asked, her eyes on Benedick, obviously.

Benedick took a deep breath, visibly restraining himself from a harsher retort. In a high voice he said over his shoulder to those in the back, “Is there a polite way of reminding Beatrice that she didn’t have to come on the trip?”

Pedro sighed and said, “Yeah, stop complaining, Bea.” And perhaps it came out as a bit more frustrated than was appropriate because Hero looked across the backseat at him with raised eyebrows.

Pedro turned and determinedly stared out of the window. He wished he had really forgotten what had happened the other night so that Balthazar’s accusatory glances weren’t such a stab in the gut. New Years Eve had meant a party, of course and kissing at midnight, naturally. And maybe Pedro hadn’t realised quite how much he had wanted that kiss to be with Balthazar until he had drunk several beers. It had all been Pedro's fault, his intoxicated idea, his design to make sure they were the last two left inside while the others went out to watch the fireworks.

And it wasn’t until he’d sobered up into the cold light of dawn that Pedro had remembered why it was a terrible idea to make-out with your best friend. Especially if you could be sharing Francis’ backseat together for a month, pressed together so closely you could feel his legs trembling with cold.

**Author's Note:**

> Naturally they started their road trip in my home town :D :D  
> I'm not sure if most people have the same appreciation of puns as me... but for the sake of this chapter I hope so ;)


End file.
